Method for space dyeing yarn



June 2, 1964 Filed May 19, 1961 R. E. MATTSON METHOD FOR SPACE DYEING YARN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORN EY June 2, 1964 R. E. MATTsoN 3,135,039

mamon FOR SPACE DYEING YARN 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed May 19, 1961 ATTORNEY having a bore in which a United States Patent C) 3,135,039 METHOD FOR SPACE DYEING YARN Robert E. Mattson, Wilmington, Del., assigner to Joseph Bancroft & Sons C0., Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 19, 1961, Ser. No. 111,210 8 Claims. (Cl. Ztl-75) a core package of the type produced by the apparatus shown in detail in copending application Ser. No. 861,001, now U.S. Patent No. 2,997,747 which includes a stuffer crimper having a tube forming a crimper chamber into which the yarn is fed by a pair of feed rolls to be folded over and crimped against a mass of previously crimped yarn held together compacted in the tube. The mass of crimped yarn is discharged in the form of a core from the end of the tube and is wound together with a confining tape onto a core package for further treatment.

In accordance with this invention the core is space dyed by spraying a dye at a uniform or at a variable rate onto the core in the zone between the end of the crimping tube and the core package, or by applying the dye to the tape prior to winding into package form. The package with the dye disposed either on the core or on the tape is steamed in a dye Vat to set the dye on the yarn. Since the dye is applied primarily to the surface of the core the outer portions of yarn will take a different shade than the portions in the interior of the core so that a space dyed effect is obtained. After the dye treatment the yarn is withdrawn from the core package and rewound onto a yarn package in the usual manner.

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which a specific embodiment has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawing:

FIG. l is a vertical section illustrating one form of apparatus for carrying out the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view showing the position of the spray nozzles;

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a modified form of apparatus of the type shown in FIG. l illustrating one means for dyeing the tape;

FIGS. 4 to 7 are similar partial detail views illustrating different embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 8 is an elevation of an apparatus for carrying out the process in a continuous manner, with parts in section for clarity;

FIG. 9 is a partial section on a larger scale taken on line 9 9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an elevation similar to FIG. 8 showing a further embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. l1 is a partial section ona larger scale taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 10. v

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the invention is shown as embodied in a stuffercrimper comprising a base plate 1 carrying a heating and crimping block 2 sleeve 3 is fixed as by a press fit. A crimping tube 4 is held in the sleeve 3 by clamping nut on the lowered tapered, split end 6 of the sleeve 3.

3,135,039 Patented June 2, 1964 ICC A source ofy heat, such as a resistance rod 7 is held in a bore in the block 2 parallel to the tube 4. A pair of feed rolls 10 and 11 are positioned to feed the fibers into the lower end ofthe tube 4 to be folded over and crimped against the pressure of a mass of previously crimped fibers held compacted in the tube 4. The feed roll 10 is mounted on a shaft 12 which is journalled to rotate in a bearing 13 supported fby the block 2. The feed roll 11 is mounted on a shaft 14 carried in a pivoted bracket 15 carried by the block 2 and having an arm 16 pressed by a spring 17 to `hold the roll 11 in feeding engagement with the roll 10. The rolls 10 and 11 are driven by gears 18 to operate in unison. The shaft 12 is driven by a drive motor (not shown) preferably through a constant torque clutch so that a constant pressure is maintained on the fibers as they are fed into and crimped in the crimping tube 4.

In the form shown, the fibers 20 are fed through a guide 26 to the bite of the feed rolls 10 and 11. l

Thel upper end of the tube 4 is formed with a rounded top surface 3f) and extends through a central flange 31 in a block 32 carried by the block 2. A feed tube 33 forming an extension of the tube 4, is formed with a curved bottom wall 34 seating on the top wall 30 of the tube 4 and carries at its lower end a block 35 having a curved lower surface 37 seating on the top surface 38 of the flange 31 so as to allow the tube 33 to pivot about the upper end of the tube 4 for the purpose to be described.

The upper end of the tube 33 is formed with an arcuate surface 39 to lay the core of crimped fibers 40 which is discharged therefrom in successive convolutions on a package 41. The discharge end of the tube 33 is held against the package 41 by a spring 27 connected by eyes 28 and 29 to blocks 35 and 32, respectively.

The package 41 is shown as Wound on a perforated tube 42 -of the type used for package dyeing. The tube 42 is mounted on a sleeve 43 which is slidably mounted on a shaft 44. The shaft 44 is driven by suitable means (not shown) and the sleeve 43 is reciprocated to lay the core 40 and tape 50 in successive convolutions in a plurality of layers. -The tape 50 is fed from a supply roll 51 over a guide roll 58 mounted on a bracket 59 carried by the feed tube 33 under a guide roll 60 mounted on the bracket 59 adjacent the discharge end of the tube 33 to lay the tape 50 over the core 40 of crimped fibers as they are fed from the end of the tube 33 onto the package 41.

In winding the package 41 a sock 66 is placed over the tube 42 and a layer of the tape 50 is wrapped there around. As the core 40 is discharged from the end of the tube 33 beneath the tape 50 it is held compacted in its original cross section by the presence of the tape as it is wound in successive convolutions and successive layers on the lperforated tube 42 until a package of the desired size has been built up. Y

In operation the mass of crimped fibers is discharged from the end of the feed tube 33 in the form of a core having the same cross section as the tubes 4 and 33 and is in effect stuffed into the space between the tape 50 and the previous layer of winding where it is held in cornpacted form without any chance to open up or relax its crimped form. It is confined on the package 41 between tapes 50 in the form of a plurality of convolutions in several layers with the core of crimped fibers in adjacent convolutions bound and separated by the intervening convolutions of ta'pe.

The packing of the core in the winding is determined by the rate of feed of the tape 50 with respect to the feed of the drive rolls 10, 11. These elements may be driven at a constant but adjustable ratio or the feed rolls 10 and 11 may be driven through a constant torque clutch in which event the rate of feed is controlled by the back pressure on the fibers due to the tension of the tape 50 as it is wound on the package 41. The tape 50 envelops the end f the tube 33 in a sufficiently close manner to control the back pressure exerted on the mass of crimped iibers within the tubes 4 and 33. The pressure exerted on the bers may thus be controlled by varying the rate of feed of the tape 50 or the relative speed of the tape feed with relations to the feed rolls 10, 11.

The mechanism thus far described is shown in detail in copending application Ser. No. 861,001.

A pair of nozzles 50a are disposed in position to apply a spray of dye material to the core 40 as it emerges from the end of the tube 33 and in advance of the bite of the tape 50 and the core package 41. The dye material may be of the type which migrates through the core and is set by heat or by steam.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the tape 50 in its path from the supply roll 51 to the roll 58 is passed through a dyeing apparatus in the form of a pair of rolls 53 dipping into a dye pan 54 and a plurality of pressure rolls 55 which hold the tape 50 in pressure engagement with the dye rolls S3. The rolls 53 or the rolls 55 may be contoured to impress the dye in the form of a pattern if desired. After passing the dyeing zone the tape 50 is shown as fed through a dryer 56 for drying but not setting the dye on the tape and is then fed to the roll 58 to Contact the core as in FIG. 1.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4 the tape 50 is fed from the supply roll 51 under a barrier 60a which confines a quantity of dye 61 on the surface of the tape 50 and under a doctor blade 52 which strips the excess dye from the tape. The dye may be dried if necessary or the tape may be fed directly to the core package 4-1. Dye may be supplied to the space between the barrier 60a and the tape 50 from a nozzle 60b.

FIG. illustrates an apparatus for printing the dye onto the upper surface of the tape. In this form a roll 69 dips into a dye pan 71 and engages a transfer roll 72 which in turn engages a roll 73 contacting the surface of the tape 50 in advance of the package 41. The roll 73 may be contoured if desired to imprint a design on the tape 50.

A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 6 wherein a dye in powder form is dropped from -a nozzle 80 onto the surface of the tape 50 in advance of the package 41. FIG. 7 shows a similar form wherein liquid dye is fed from a nozzle 81 onto the surface of the tape 50.

Various other means for applying dye to the tape or to the core will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. After such preliminary treatment the core package is processed to set the dye on the yarn as by heating or steaming a plurality of such core packages in a dye vat of the usual type and then rewinding the dyed yarn onto a yarn package using apparatus as shown in said copending application or other suitable equipment or by hand as desired.

The crimped yarn thus produced has a randomly varying shade which produces a novelty effect. Of course different colors can be applied along different portions of the core or of the tape if further novelty eifects are desired. This random variation is enhanced by the design which can be produced by the rolls of FIGS. 3 and 5 or by varying the feed from the nozzles of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 the crimper is similar to that of FIG. l and the parts have been given similar reference characters. In this form however the crimping tube 4a is rigid at its discharge end and is positioned to discharge the crimped core 40 into the bite between a drum 85 and a tape roll 86. The drum 85 dips into a bath of hot liquid 87 in a tank 88. A tape 90 is fed around the guide roll 86 in a position to engage and grip the core 40 as it leaves the tube 4a and to confine the core in compacted form against the surface of the drum 85, to form a core package. A dye is applied to the tape 90 from a dye bath 91 by transfer rolls 92, 93 and 94 which may be patterned if desired to apply the dye in any selected design. As the drum 85 rotates clockwise the tape and core are passed through the heating bath 87 which causes the dye to be transferred from the tape to the crimped yarn in the core 40 and to be set therein. The yarn is randomly dyed due to the packing of the yarn in the core as well as due to any variation in the dye on the tape.

As the tape and core emerge from the bath 87 the tape and core pass over a guide roll 95 into a rinse and wash tank 96, thence into a dryer 97. From the dryer 97 the tape passes around a guide roll 98 and returns to the guide roll 86 around a series of guide rolls 99. As the core emerges from the dryer it passes under a holding plate 100. At the end of the plate 100 the yarn is extracted by a pair of rolls 101 and is wound on a package 102 which is driven by suitable means such as a belt 103.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, the core 40 is discharged from the end of the crimping tube 4a between a pair of belts 105 and 106 which grip the core and hold the same in compacted form as they advance. The belts 105 and 106 with the core 40 therebetween are fed by suitable guide rolls through a bath 107 of heated liquid in a tank 108 which is adapted to transfer dye from the tapes to the core and to set the dye on the compacted yarn in the core. From the bath 107 the tapes and core are fed through a second bath 109 in tank 110 which may comprise wash water for washing the tapes and cores as they pass thereunder. From the bath 109 and after extracting by rolls 109a, the assembly passes through a dryer 111. After emerging from the dryer the tapes 10S and 106 pass around guide rolls 112 and 113 respectively, and return to guide rolls 114 and 115, respectively, which are deposited adjacent the end of the crimper tube 4a and guide the tape into a position to pick up the core 40, as above mentioned.

Dye is applied to the tape 105 from a tank 116 by means of a series of transfer rolls 117 and dye is supplied to the belt 106 from a tank 118 by means of transfer rolls 119. The yarn is extracted from a core as it is exposed at the bite of the rolls 112 and 113 by means of pick up rolls 121 and is wound on to a package 122.

The operation of this embodiment is similar to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 except that in this last form the core is confined between a pair of tapes and is fed thereby as a core package through a succession of treating stages.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of space dyeing yarn which comprises packing a mass of said yarn into a core wherein the yarn is held compacted, winding the core together with a conlining tape in successive layers onto a core package, applying a dye only to the surface of said core prior to winding onto said core package, treating the core package to set the dye in said yarn to produce a random variation in color in the yarn in various parts of said core, and rewinding the yarn onto a yarn package.

2. The method of space dyeing a yarn which comprises feeding said yarn into a packed mass of said yarn in a stuier crimper to cause the yarn to be crimped as it is fed against the mass of yarn in said crimper, advancing the mass of crimped yarn under a compacting pressure along a setting zone to a discharge point, discharging the crimper yarn at said point in the form of a continuous core of packed yarn, winding the core together with a confining tape onto a core package, applying a dye to said tape in a predetermined pattern at a stage prior to winding, treating said core package to transfer the dye from 5S said tape to said core and to set the dye on said yarn and rewinding said dyed yarn onto a yarn package.

3. The method set forth in claim 2 in which the dye is applied to said tape in a dyeing stage comprising a roll dipping into a dye bath and a transfer roll engaging the surface of said tape.

4. The method set forth in claim 2 in which the dye is applied to said tape in a dyeing stage comprising a nozzle directed onto said tape.

5. The method of space dyeing a yarn which comprises feeding said yarn into a packed mass of said yarn in a stuifer crimper to cause the yarn to be crimped as it is fed against the mass of yarn in said crimper, advancing the mass of crimped yarn under a compacting pressure along a setting zone to a discharge point, discharging the crimped yarn at said point in the form of a continuous core of packed yarn, Winding the core together with a conning tape onto a core package, applying a dye to said tape at a stage prior to Winding onto said core package and treating the core package to transfer the dye from said tape to said yarn and to set the dye thereon in a randomly varying manner.

6. The method set forth in claim 5 in which the dye is applied to said tape in a dye stage comprising a padding roll.

7. The method set forth in claim 5 in which the dye is applied to said tape in a dye stage and is dried but not set prior to the formation of said package.

8. The method set forth in claim 5 in Which the dye is applied to said tape in a dye stage comprising a spray nozzle.

References Cit-ad in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,798,282 Carr July 9, 1957 2,854,701 Rainard Oct. 7, 1958 2,997,747 Russo et al Aug. 29, 1961 3,000,059 Russo et al Sept. 19, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 219,688 Australia Jan. 14, 1959 841,665 Great Britain July 20, 1960 

1. THE METHOD OF SPACE DYEING YARN WHICH COMPRISES PACKING A MASS OF YARN INTO A CORE WHEREIN THE YARN IS HELD COMPACTED, WINDING THE CORE TOGETHER WITH A CONFINING TAPE IN SUCCESSIVE LAYERS ONTO A CORE PACKAGE, APPLYING A DYE ONLY TO THE SURFACE OF SAID CORE PRIOR TO WINDING ONTO SAID CORE PACKAGE, TREATING THE CORE PACKAGE TO SET THE DYE IN SAID YARN TO PRODUCE A RANDOM VARIATION IN COLOR IN THE YARN IN VARIOUS PARTS OF SAID CORE, AND REWINDING THE YARN ONTO A YARN PACKAGE. 